Wolverines to Close Non-Conference Play with Visit from River Hawks

» The Wolverines will close their non-conference schedule by hosting UMass Lowell on Sunday (Dec. 29) at Crisler Center. The game is the first for U-M after a week-long holiday break.
» The River Hawks will be playing their second road game in three days after they returned from the holiday break to play at Loyola (L, 93-81) on Friday (Dec. 27).
» U-M announced Isaiah Livers is out indefinitely with a groin injury. Livers was leading the Wolverines in scoring with 13.6 points per game.
» With seven rebounds against Presbyterian, Jon Teske became the 45th Wolverine to reach the 500-rebound club at U-M. He ranks 44th on the list with 507 career boards.

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The 11th-ranked University of Michigan men's basketball team (9-3, 1-1 Big Ten) will host UMass Lowell for its non-conference finale Sunday (Dec. 29) at Crisler Center. The game is scheduled for a 2 p.m. tipoff on FS1 with Adam Alexander (p-by-p) and former Nebraska coach Tim Miles (analyst) as the broadcast crew.

Things to Know for Sunday's Game

• U-M coach Juwan Howard announced Isaiah Livers will be out indefinitely due to a groin (left) injury. Livers' injury occurred in the game against Presbyterian College (Dec. 21) after he was fouled on a dunk attempt just 3:06 into the game. After making two free throws he subbed out and did not return in the game.
• Zavier Simpson has not missed a game in four seasons -- a streak of 128 straight.
• Averaging 8.8 assists per game, Simpson has 5+ assists in 11 of 12 games, with 10+ in four, including a career best of 14 against Houston Baptist. He ranks second in the nation for assists, trailing Samford's Josh Sharkey (9.5 apg).
• With 537 career assists, Simpson has moved into U-M's all-time top five, as he is fourth on the list. He needs two more dimes to move into a tie for third with former U-M great Antoine Joubert (539).
• Jon Teske has 4+ rebounds in every game and leads U-M with 26 blocks, almost half of U-M's season total of 61. The next closest Wolverine is Brandon Johns Jr. with nine blocks.
• With seven rebounds against Presbyterian, Teske became the 45th Wolverine to reach the 500-rebound club at U-M. He ranks 44th on the list with 507 career boards.
• U-M has made a rapid climb to the eighth best strength of schedule in the nation. The Wolverines held the 262nd-rated schedule in Division I prior to Thanksgiving but then embarked on an 18-day, seven-game stretch during which the Wolverines played five road games, four top-10 ranked teams, and two Big Ten games (one home, one away) and won three straight to claim the 2019 Battle 4 Atlantis title.

The All-Time Series with UMass Lowell

• Sunday afternoon's game will be the second game between Michigan and UMass Lowell.
• In the only other meeting, the Wolverines defeated the River Hawks, 69-42, at Crisler Center on Nov. 8, 2013. In the Maize and Blue's season opener, the game was tied at halftime (23-23) before the Wolverines outscored UMass Lowell by +33 (46-19) in the second half. The River Hawks shot just 28.6 percent for the game, while the Wolverines made the most of their chances from the free throw line, going 24-for-32.
• Current Brooklyn Net Caris LeVert led U-M with 17 points, while current Golden State Warrior Glenn Robinson III had 15. Jon Horford finished with five points and a game-high 12 rebounds.
• Michigan went on to win the Big Ten regular-season title by three games that season.

Who Are the UMass Lowell River Hawks?

• UMass Lowell heads to Ann Arbor with a 6-8 record. After dropping a 72-66 decision to Boston University (Dec. 21) before the holiday break, the River Hawks returned on Friday the 27th for a game at Loyola (Md.) and suffered a 93-81 loss.
• UMass Lowell is averaging 74.9 points per game led by a pair of double-figure scorers -- grad transfer (Radford) Christian Luetete (19.5 ppg) and junior guard Obadiah Noel (15.8). In addition to his scoring, Luetete leads the team with 8.1 rebounds per game and 26 three-pointers while shooting 50.5 percent from the field.
• Freshman forward Connor Withers has started 10 games and is averaging 8.3 points and is second on the River Hawks with 5.6 rebounds per game.
• Sunday's game marks the second Big Ten opponent UMass Lowell will face in the non-conference after playing at Ohio State on Nov. 10 (L, 76-56).
• UMass Lowell is led by Pat Duquette, who is in his seventh season as head coach. He has compiled a 77-116 record. Duquette has been part of the River Hawks' transition from DII to DI, which started during his first season, 2013-14. As part of the transition, UMass Lowell was not eligible for the postseason until the 2017-18 season.

Putting the Ball in the Basket

• Michigan is averaging 78.4 points per game with four players averaging in double figures: Isaiah Livers (13.6), Jon Teske (13.5), Zavier Simpson (11.4) and Eli Brooks (11.3).
• U-M's starting five -- Simpson, Brooks, Franz Wagner, Livers and Teske -- has made up 71 percent of the scoring (667 of 941).
• Despite plenty of season still remaining, Michigan's 78.4 points per game is the most since the 1997-98 season (77.4). In fact, since 1997-98 (21 seasons), U-M has averaged 75 points in a season six times -- 1992-93 (81.9), 1993-94 (79.8), 1997-98 (77.4), 1999-2000 (75.5), 2012-14 (75.2) and 2016-17 (75.0).
• U-M is shooting 49.0 percent from the field, which ranks 19th in the nation. The Wolverines already have seven games shooting above 50 percent for the game with a season-high .577 vs. Iowa State.
• From deep, U-M averages 9.0 (108) three-pointers per game. U-M has six games with 10+ three-pointers with a season-high 14 against Houston Baptist. As a team, the Wolverines are shooting 38.7 percent from deep, which is 28th in the nation.
• The Wolverines have balanced their three-point shooting as they have five players with 10+ triples this season. Livers leads U-M with 29, while Brooks has 22. David DeJulius is third with 17, Simpson has 11, and Wagner has 10.
• Thanks to a 59-for-73 (.808) stat line from the charity stripe in their last three games, the Wolverines have improved their free throw shooting to 73.4 percent. Wagner leads U-M at 92.3 percent (12-for-13), while Livers is second at 90.0 (18-for-20) and Colin Castleton is third at 77.8 (14-for-18).
• Livers has three 20+ point scoring outings, including a career-best 24 against Houston Baptist, 22 against Creighton and 21 vs. No. 8 Gonzaga (Battle 4 Atlantis). This season, he has scored in double digits in nine games.
• Hard to believe, but this season Brooks has recorded the first six double-figure games of his career, including a career-high 24 twice. The first was in the season opener against Appalachian State as he made a career-best five three-pointers. The second was in the Battle 4 Atlantis semifinal win over No. 6 North Carolina.